Downtown is the Grove Arcade, completed in 1929. It was renovated and reopened in 2002 as an indoor-outdoor retail center.
Unlike at a typical shopping mall, there are no chain stores in sight. Local vendors have setup shop inside the arcade, including the Big Cheese, just in case you have a hankering for more than 80 different cheeses while filling the shopping bags. Gothic statues wait to greet you each time you walk into the sun-drenched corridors.
The building itself was named to the National Register of Historic Places, and is close to other prime examples of 20th-century architecture. Just around the block you'll find the Art Deco inspired Asheville City Building as well as the S&W Cafeteria building.
Architect Douglas Ellington said that he designed the buildings to interact with their mountain backdrops. The city has done a a great job maintaining them--meaning that the area has a lot more to see than just the changing leaves.
Related Stories:
· National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary [Official Site]
· Grove Arcade [Official Site]
· Architecture Travel coverage [Jaunted]
[Photo: kjb]
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kjb
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